“Myriad Harbour” – The New Pornographers

I hope everyone had a super, fabulous, merry Christmas! My decorations are down and put away. Yay!

Not only do I love this song, the video is awesomely cool. Love the artwork.

“The Royal Tenenbaums”

This is one of my favorite movies. I have seen it countless times. I am not a big Gwenyth Paltrow fan but I LOVE her in this movie. The whole cast is perfect – Gene Hackman, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Gwenyth Paltrow, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Danny Glover, and Bill Murray.

Here’s the trailer -

Margot and Ritchie -

Richie -

Royal, Chas, Uzi, Ari, and Margot -

Eli Cash and friends – I love that “Rock the Casbah” was playing in the background of this scene. Perfection.

Eli’s art – CRAZY!

I think it is funny how all of the characters have so much literal and figurative baggage. They all have a “look” that they carry with them throughout their lives. Margot sports the same haircut, eyeliner, barrette, and fur coat throughout the film. Chas has the red tracksuit and even passes that look on to his two kids (kind of like how we pass our emotional baggage on to our children). Richie holds on to the tennis clothes, headband, and sunglasses even though those days have long gone. Eli has the retro cowboy thing going on. It is telling. The whole movie is brilliant.

Check out Richie’s baggage in this clip…

And last -

One of my favorite scenes and songs in the movie. The song is by Elliott Smith. Richie finally loses his “look” and tries to lose his life.

And the award for BEST SUICIDE SCENE goes to ...

One more day until Christmas!

Technorati Tags: movies

The Killers - “A Great Big Sled”

Here’s another good Christmas song from The Killers -

I hope to finish my Christmas shopping today. Yay!

“Don’t Shoot Me Santa” – The Killers

This is my favorite Christmas song and video. In fact, I like it so much that I listen to it all year round. Christmas in SoFlo is not quite as sad as Christmas in Nevada…almost.

Merry Christmas!

Technorati Tags: Music

Devendra Banhart – Two Reasons to Love

I am really into Devendra Banhart right now. Check out these two videos…WARNING: “Carmensita” is addictive.

I would love to see him live. I don’t think he comes anywhere near Florida. He plays in France a lot…HUGE there.

Random Dining

This is my new favorite dining room. I think the chairs are what make it so appealing. I like the color and the fabric and the shape of the chairs. Plus - they look comfy. For some reason, hard dining chairs – especially ladder back chairs – depress me. I like the combination of soft and hard in this dining room – hard floor, soft chairs, hard table, soft chandelier, hard armoire, soft curtain, hard candelabras, soft floral centerpiece.

photo – La Dolce Vita

This dining / kitchen was featured in Cottage Living magazine. I like the wooden table mixed with modern wire chairs mixed with soft upholstered end chairs. All the lines in this room are loooooooow.

This photo from Metropolitan Home magazine is cool because of the turquoise barstools. Is this not the coolest bar ever? This bar makes me want to become an alcoholic. It is PERFECT!

The next two photos are from La Dolce Vita. I like this dining space because even though it is a walk through space, it still looks finished and upscale. I love the dark gray walls in this home.

This photo is from Southern Living. These are exactly the kind of chairs that depress me! They remind me of the chairs in “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”. This chair was juuuust right! At least the end chairs are covered. I do like how they used the super, fancy, silver candelabras with the simple, rustic table and chairs. Nice combo.

This kitchen / dining area was featured in Southern Accents. The banquette is neat. I like the antlers above the range. I also like the painted wood ceiling and the narrow French doors.

That’s it for random dining spaces. :)

Ben Folds video – The Ascent of Stan

Technorati Tags: Ben Folds

This is a lifestyle related post. I know I haven’t been doing many decor related posts lately; I am just not in the mood. Expect more of the same for a while.

I love this performance of Ben Folds singing “The Ascent of Stan” with WASO. I bought the sheet music to this song and it is scary difficult. I can’t wait for him to come back to Florida!

Ciao!

Forgiveness

Today was Communion Sunday at my church.  Community Church offers open communion which means that all are welcome to participate.  I was thinking about the meaning of communion and realized that for me communion is about forgiveness.  I heard a quote recently about forgiveness that really stuck with me.  Ironically, Mark Twain, said -

“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that crushed it.”

More quotes on the subject -

Voltaire - “No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible.”

Jesus - “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

C. S. Lewis - “Everyone says that forgiveness is a lovely idea until he has something to forgive.”

George MacDonald - “It may be infinitely worse to refuse to forgive than to murder, because the latter may be an impulse of a moment of heat, whereas the former is a cold and deliberate choice of the heart.”

George Herbert - “He who cannot forgive, breaks the bridge over which he himself must pass.”

William H. Walton - “To carry a grudge is like being stung to death by one bee.”

Eckhart Tolle -“Forgiveness is not about forgetting. it is about letting go of another person’s throat.”

Have a great day!

Chili

I just made the best chili ever!  It is for Soup Bowl Day at school – money and awareness for homeless – kids eat soup instead of regular lunch – blah blah blah.  Anyway – back to the chili.  It is the BEST I have ever made.  Spicy, buffalo meat, beans, tomatoes, yummy!

There is a problem with the chili, though.  It is soooooo unphotogenic. It looks like dog throw-up.

Looks better from this angle…

Even better from a distance with the bags of Fritos as props…

Oh well…I am serving the soup, too, and am going to be late if I don’t finish this post.  Later.

Twi-crack post

I confess. I am addicted to Twi-crack and I highly recommend that you try some. My story started about a year ago. I was talking with a 13- year-old about school when her eyes suddenly glazed over and she said, as if in a trance, “Have you read Twilight?” I looked at her, puzzled by the random change of subject, and said that I had not read Twilight. She said, again trance-like, “You HAVE to read it. You HAVE to read Twilight.” I didn’t think much more about it until a few weeks ago. I finally finished Ken Follett’s Pillars of the Earth and World Without End, both excellent books. Upon finishing World Without End, I decided that I should read something silly and light and easy. I thought about the 13-year-old and decided that whatever she was reading would be perfect. That’s when I tried Twi-crack. I began reading on Wednesday. By the following Tuesday I had read Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn, AND the partially leaked internet book – Midnight Sun (Edward’s version of Twilight). PLUS, I am sad to say, that I watched the Twilight movie four times. The Twilight series is crack literature. That is why I am PSYCHED for November 20th because the New Dawn movie will be released. I’ll have to get there early so I can find a good seat amongst the hoards of teens that are also PSYCHED about November 20th. Twi-crack is sooooooo gooooood.

Do I even have to say it? Go team Edward.

Kitchens need accessory love, too!

I could write a witty introduction but I won’t.  Who reads blogs anyway?  Blogs are like Playboy.  No one really reads them.  People just want to see the pictures.  So………

1.  I don’t like to see a bunch of unused appliances out on the counter tops as decoration.  Instead, I would rather see baskets, plants, cutting boards, and vintage tins for storage.  Pack up that crusty old Cuisinart and put it behind closed doors.  When was the last time you used it anyway?  Donate it.

ps – The chopping block island is perfect as a kitchen table.

2.  This kitchen is less accessorized, but it works because some of the upper cabinet doors are glass.  I like the utensils and oils above the stove.  I have that setup, too, and it is so handy.  The toaster in the corner is ok as I am sure it gets action in the mornings and something like that needs to be convenient.

 

3.  This kitchen is interesting because the cabinetry is very modern but they are juxtaposed against an industrial brick wall and accessorized with antiques.  The balance is nice.  The chalk board propped up on the counter is useful, too.

4.  I like how the stuffed glass fronted cabinets are next to the simple glass jar on the capital pedestal.  I also like how the coffee maker is inside it’s garage.  Coffee makers are messy.

5.  I like the large plants in the windows.  They soften this otherwise sparse kitchen.  I also love the wine storage on the left.  It looks like a bottle dryer (similar ones can be found in NapaStyle catalog) propped up against the wall. Great idea!

6.  This photo is from Coastal Living.  Another sparse kitchen, but the tile wall makes up for it!  I like this trend.

7.  I love you, but I can’t live like this anymore.  You’re just so vacant!  It’s like nobody’s home.  Oh, sorry, I was speaking to the kitchen.  Obviously this person eats out a lot.

8.  The next two photos are from La Dolce Vita.  I am a sucker for glass fronted refrigerators.  I just love them.  This is a beautiful kitchen.  I love the dark shades of gray.  The counter tops are free from clutter but the cabinets and open shelving are packed with interesting dishes, etc.

 

9.  Another tiled wall – like this.  Open shelves – like.  Accessories – LOVE!  Herbs, cutting boards, utensils, cookbooks, toaster, microwave, canisters, all gooood!

10.  This black and white floor is fabulous! It fills up the space so not as many accessories are required.  I like the collection of wine jugs on the table.

photo – Things That Inspire

11.  Loooove the dark stained floors!  This photo is from Cote de Texas – one of my favorite blogs.  I’ve said this before – I love the light blue and red combination. WOW!

12.  This chalkboard is a nice touch.  Is it a door conversion?  Not sure.

13.  Great accessorizing here…topiaries, fruit on a tiered pedestal, vintage bread tin, glass cloche, upright mixer, and bottles of Pellegrino.  Love the black cabinets, the white drum shades and the simple window treatment. Oh – and don’t forget the great rug!

14.  First of all, the black framed windows and doors really make this space special.  The chandeliers are perfect and the long wooden table is too fabulous!  Notice how the cabinets are more modern with the long handles.  Accessories – artichokes, upright mixer, flowers, art, and oils.

photo – Southern Accents

15.  Another big trend – shelves instead of upper cabinets.  Accessories – dishes and glassware, potted herbs, toaster, flowers, vintage tins, canisters, a bucket filled with green apples, and a little shelf (?).  Not sure if it is a shelf, but it is so cute!

16.  Another wooden kitchen table against a white backdrop AND more black framed doors!  The chandelier and the sconce in this space are lovely.  This could be accessorized for Christmas with all the red fruit on the table.  Grandma’s old crystal and sterling are suddenly chic when grouped together.

17. This is a Southern Living kitchen.  I included it because the accessories are more practical.  The chips are stored in plain view on the island and it’s ok because they are in a decorative wooden basket.  The dark shades on the windows balance out the dark shades of the island and the granite. The dog bed is cute and I would have no problem having it in the kitchen but I know a few germaphobes who would probably protest.

18.  I like the LARGE accessories in this kitchen.  The lemon tree in the urn is pretty and the basket of rosemary is also pretty.  I know fake plants  are a no-no but would it be bad to wire a couple of fake lemons on the lemon tree when the real ones drop?

photo – Southern Accents

19.  Another pretty chandelier.  I like the niches over the stove.  They are perfect for small items like toothpicks and salt and pepper, etc. There is a sink in this kitchen table – nice.

photo – Southern Accents

20.  Ok – this kitchen has the best accessory so far – the taxidermy hog.  I need one of these.  It would go well in my kitchen – not kidding. I’ll have to check eBay…

 

photo – Southern Accents

21.  Gwenyth Paltrow’s kitchen – love the black cabinets and the chandeliers. I see a lot of appliances on the countertops.  Accessories could be better – Gwen.  I like the basket of veggies on the island.  Those were probably thrown in for the photo shoot.

22. And finally, a Windsor Smith kitchen that has been all over the blogs. I loooooove this kitchen.  I love the useful accessories.  I love the marble topped table and the trellis chairs and the wingbacks.  It’s just perfect.  The vase of flowers is a pretty centerpiece and the black and white floors add a lot of visual weight to the mostly white room.  Oh – I just noticed that the chairs have black vinyl cushions! Yummy!